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SlingTV is taking another step toward replicating the traditional pay-TV experience: Offering pay-per-view events. If you're impatient, know that it starts this weekend with UFC 214, so you won't have too long to wait before testing it out for yourself.

Checking into a hotel can be like moving back in time, at least when it comes to media. We're all used to using our own devices to watch television and movies, stream music and play games, but many hotels still cling to their cable-style in-room TV systems that we basically bypass to use our own entertainment. Satellite internet and television provider Dish wants to change all that with a new system for hotels called Evolve. It's a 4K-capable box powered by Android TV that sits behind your room's monitor that you can stream to as well as watch live TV in HD.

Alexa is about to be even more useful when it comes to your entertainment needs. Simple voice commands already let you navigate apps like Netflix, but tools to incorporate those types of commands are now available to any TV company, streaming service and other content providers.

Sling TV's Cloud DVR feature is slowly becoming available for more subscribers. Now folks who use Android and Roku devices to stream live TV can pay $5 extra a month to store 50 hours of video on Sling's servers for anywhere/anytime viewing -- half as many hours that beta testers had access to in November. Of course, the Cloud DVR tools (like rewinding and skipping commercials) aren't available across every channel, which puts a damper on having them in the first place. And it even calls the entire feature's name into question, to be honest.

Samsung recalled nearly three million top-loading washing machines last year after reports they were exploding. It gave customers the option of having their appliances fixed by a certified technician. Now, it's making good on that promise -- sort of. According to a report by Consumerist, it's sending out Dish Network techs to make the repairs.

Until recently, the world of voice-controlled computing, nay, voice-controlled living, seemed like it was still a few years away from becoming mainstream. Amazon's Alexa platform, however, has made it easy for companies to bolt on the technology to their existing products. Case in point: Dish has announced that you'll soon be able to pair your Hopper DVR with the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot in order to change channels just by speaking.

The Sling TV team has inadvertently spilled the beans on its previously leaked media hub for cord cutters. Zatz Not Funnydiscovered a briefly available landing website for the AirTV Player, and it's clearer than ever that Sling (read: Dish) is catering to those determined to leave cable and satellite behind. The set-top box will revolve around a home screen that merges over-the-air TV tuning with not only Sling TV, but Netflix -- you won't have to jump between apps or devices to watch both your local news and the latest season of Black Mirror. And since this is an Android device (notice the "G" button on the remote), there's a good chance that other online services will be available as well.

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androidavcordcuttingdishdishnetworkgearinternetnetflixotaservicesset-topboxslingslingtvstreamingtelevisiontvTue, 20 Dec 2016 20:20:00 -050021|21632038https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/22/sling-tv-is-joining-comcasts-x1-cable-platfom/https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/22/sling-tv-is-joining-comcasts-x1-cable-platfom/https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/22/sling-tv-is-joining-comcasts-x1-cable-platfom/#comments
Sling TV's over the top internet service is about to arrive in an unusual landing spot: Comcast's cable boxes. The two companies just announced a partnership that will put the IPTV service on the X1 platform in the future, with 425+ channels including a number of multicultural offerings. According to the release, all Sling TV packages will be available on X1, with pricing consistent with other platforms. There's no word yet on exactly when the two will come together, but Netflix went from beta to fully available in just a couple of months, so that could bode well for the pairing.

It's tough being a San Antonio Spurs fan living in New York City, since I can only watch games shown on national TV. With NBA Team Pass, though, that's not a problem. And starting today, Dish is making it available to its subscribers for $119 per season, becoming the first pay-TV provider to do so. Up until now, Team Pass was only available as an online streaming service, but you should note that out-of-market blackout restrictions still apply with Dish's offering.

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avbasketballculturedishdishnetworkentertainmentgearleaguepassnbanbaleaguepassnbateampasssportsteampassTue, 25 Oct 2016 22:29:00 -040021|21591458https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/03/nfl-network-dish-sling-tv-deal/https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/03/nfl-network-dish-sling-tv-deal/https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/03/nfl-network-dish-sling-tv-deal/#comments
That didn't last long. On the heels of Dish Network deal with the NFL expiring, the company has announced that Sling TV (owned by Dish, of course) will have the NFL Network and NFL RedZone available for the 2016 season. Neither the streaming service or the NFL have said anything about pricing yet, but those details will shore up soon. It's part of a bigger deal with Dish, as well, with the aforementioned channels coming back to Dish's satellite customers as well.

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games are almost here, and despite the issues present in Rio, watching from home should be better than ever. If you're in need of something else to display on your brand new Ultra HD television then we have good news -- NBC will have 4K, HDR footage with Atmos surround sound available that's actually downsampled from 8K (which you can see for yourself, if you live in Japan). The only problem? Not every TV provider will be pushing it to viewers, and it will be on 24-hour tape delay.

Tribune stations went dark on Dish Network earlier this week, making it difficult for some customers to watch the NBA and NHL championship matchups. The TV provider is dealing with another sports-related dispute too, and this time it's with the NFL. Dish subscribers won't be privy to the league-owned NFL Network and NFL RedZone for the time being as contract negotiations stalled before the previous deal expired last night. The NFL pointed out that this is the first time a television provider has blacked out its channels and set up a website to let eager football fans in on other options for watching its content.

Apple's TV box is getting more internet TV friendly with the addition of Sling TV, but that's not the end of the announcements today. Apple TV will be the first platform with Sling's new "content-centric" UI. A big addition is the "My TV" section, which lets users pick favorite channels or easily resume watching a particular show, as well as other overall improvements. Sling's deal with Apple also means it will let subscribers buy a 32GB Apple TV for $89 -- if they prepay for three months of Sling's $20/month service. It's an odd way to build in what amounts to three free months of Sling, but that's what it will be when it goes live here.

There's bad news for some folks hoping to catch the NBA or NHL finals today. The Tribune network, which owns WGN and affiliates for FOX, CBS and other networks, is no longer available on Dish. As usual with such disputes (which often involve Dish), the reason for the blackout is money. Tribune says that Dish "refuses to reach an agreement based on fair-market value" for its stations, while Dish says "Tribune is demanding an unreasonable rate increase for channels that are available for free over the air."

As helpful as Sling TV might be for cutting the cord, its one-stream-at-a-time model has its limits. It rules out your family watching across multiple TVs, for instance, or (gasp) sharing with friends. Thankfully, the Dish-owned service isn't deaf to your requests: it's beta testing a $20 per month multi-stream option that lets up to three people watch at once. Besides giving you more freedom, the move also brings Fox channels that aren't available with a single stream, such as Fox Locals, Fox Sports and FX. You'll also get a few other channels that were either previously unavailable or limited to add-on packages, like Univision (normally an extra).

Dish took a major leap forward at CES 2016, introducing its first 4K receiver and DVR. But, as great as it is for customers to have that option, Hopper 3 needs compatible content in order to show true value. With this in mind, Dish has announced support for Netflix's 4K repertoire, which will let users watch some movies and series in Ultra HD. That includes most of the streaming service's latest original shows, including the acclaimed Daredevil and House of Cards, among others.

Dish has been pushing its placeshifting and ad-skipping Hopper DVR for a few years now, and now it's ready to unleash the biggest upgrade yet. The Hopper 3 is ready for 4K -- there's already a Joey 4K, introduced last year -- and it has 16 tuners, which should be enough to end channel conflicts forever. Its 4K support is not just there for watching video on-demand downloads, as it also has a "Sports Bar Mode" that lets owners watch four regular HD channels at once on their Ultra HD TV. That way they don't have to reduce resolution at all, and on game day it could come in handy.

TiVo is back in the litigation game with a new lawsuit against Samsung, according to its latest earnings report. The company has avoided such disputes since it settled with Dish Network, Verizon and other companies for over $1 billion. However, its Time Warp patent (which allows you to record one program while watching another) is what helped it win those sums, and it's set to expire in 2018. As a result, CEO Tom Rogers said that TiVo will assert its newer IP. "People know that we have quite a track record when it comes to our litigation and they also know that we don't pursue these things unless we believe there is significant damage opportunity."

Don't like that your Slingbox setup is dishing out ads when it wasn't before? You're not alone. Two viewers have sued Sling Media for allegedly pulling a "bait and switch" on existing customers, serving them ads that they hadn't actually agreed to see. It's tantamount to fraud, according to the lawsuit, and it's particularly egregious when many viewers paid $300 or more for their set-top boxes.

As handy as a Slingbox can be for watching TV away from home, it's not as good a deal as it sounds. You usually have to shell out another $15 or more just to get the Slingplayer streaming app for your phone or tablet. Sling is starting to see the light, however. It's shipping a $200 Slingbox M2 bundle that lets you download the Slingplayer Android and iOS apps for free, not just the desktop versions. While this kit costs $50 more than what you'd pay for the M1, it's potentially less expensive if you want apps for multiple mobile devices -- especially if you're not the only one that wants to watch. You'll have to endure "seamlessly integrated" ads for the privilege, but that could be a small price to pay for viewing your favorite shows on every possible screen.

Virgin America has announced that it's teaming up with satellite internet company ViaSat to provide the fastest in-flight WiFi of any commercial carrier. The new system uses a hybrid Ku-/Ka-band receiver to deliver an internet pipeline eight to 10 times faster than anything else on the market. The Ka-band alone offers a whopping 140 gigabits-per-second throughput. It's being installed on the company's new fleet of A320 airliners and will be put into service on Hawaii-bound routes starting next year. That alone is a big accomplishment as the rest of the airline's fleet have to rely on ground-based WiFi connections, which don't work over the ocean's expanse. Virgin touts that this in-flight connection will be equivalent to an average home broadband link and users are expected to use it as such, streaming videos, watching the carrier's 18 channels of DishNetwork and surfing the internet with abandon -- just at 35,000 feet.

Add one more (potential) communications company deal to the pile: T-Mobile and Dish Network. According to the Wall Street Journal, the two are in "close agreement" about the structure of a combined company, with Dish CEO Charlie Ergen taking over as Chairman and T-Mobile leader John Legere serving as CEO for the two companies. Dish tried and failed to acquire Sprint a couple of years ago, while T-Mobile has made its own passes at joining with AT&T and Sprint. There's nothing final about the talks so maybe nothing will happen, but Verizon/AOL and AT&T/DirecTV could have company very soon.

Netflix became available on Dish set-top boxes back in December of last year. Now, as a way to make the experience better for subscribers, the satellite provider is improving the integration between its platform and the video-streaming service. As of today, Dish customers who have a Hopper with Sling and Joey receiver in their home can start watching Netflix content across different rooms. So, say you start an episode of the award-winning House of Cardsin your living room, you can pause it and continue enjoying it in your bedroom, seamlessly -- so long as there's a Joey device in there. In addition to that, Dish added Vevo, which lets people check out on-demand music videos, to the growing list of Hopper apps.

We get it. It's been a busy week. Luckily, we're here to catch you up on the release date of the Apple Watch, VR headsets in Hollywood and all the other cool stuff you may have accidentally glossed over during five days on the daily grind.

There's no doubt that companies spent a ton of money in the FCC's latest wireless auction -- $44.9 billion of it, to be precise. But who was it that was so eager to part with their cash? You don't have to wonder for much longer. The FCC has revealed the winning bidders, and there's little doubt as to who the frontrunners are. AT&T was by far the biggest spender. It shelled out almost $18.2 billion for 251 licenses to use that coveted AWS-3 spectrum, or nearly three times what it spent on 700MHz frequencies back in 2008. Dish, meanwhile, made its broadband ambitions pretty clear by snapping up a sizable $13.3 billion in airwaves.